When Tammy Kelleher-Randolph left college to marry her high school sweetheart, she promised her mother that she would finish her degree. More than 30 years later, Randolph kept that promise.
At 53, she completed the Advance Business program at Cleveland State Community College, graduating with a 4.0 GPA and honors.
“My mom passed away 10 years ago, and my father passed away when I was 12,” Randolph said. “I am not going to lie; I am proud that I finished. You never know what can happen when you have the confidence to try. It was not easy. There were times when I didn’t think I could do it. Statistics could have broken me, but when I struggled, I had the support of my classmates and instructors.”
Today, Randolph serves as the Director of Investor Development for the Cleveland/Bradley Chamber of Commerce, where she has worked for more than 20 years. Reaching this position took perseverance, patience and eventually, a return to college.
Randolph grew up in a family run grocery store in Iowa. “My parents owned a small business,” she said. “I literally had a crib mattress in a pop bottle cart where I would sleep. I know how hard it is to be a small business owner, and that’s why I want to serve our members and help them get into the best possible position they can be.”
When Randolph and her husband married, he worked for a home improvement retail store. They moved and relocated all over the country, including two moves to Cleveland. Along the way, she worked as a receptionist, choosing jobs that allowed her to maintain a flexible schedule while raising their son and daughter.
In 2005, the family returned to Cleveland, and the Chamber hired Randolph as a receptionist. Over the next several years, she advanced to executive assistant for the Chamber president while also providing administrative support for the Industrial Development Board and Cleveland Associated Industries.
Randolph applied for Membership Director at the Chamber, but the position required a degree, which she didn’t have, so she was turned down.
“I set that aside, kept my head down and did whatever was needed,” she said. “I kept thinking about going back to school because I wanted to do something more. It was always in the back of my head.”
In 2019, Randolph overheard Cleveland State representatives present information at the Chamber about the Advance Business program.
“At that point, I’m in my 50s, and we were raising our grandson. I just thought that I’m too old for it, but I asked for some information about the program,” Randolph said.
Her daughter had started college in middle Tennessee as a single mother working full-time. Randolph knew there was no reason that she couldn’t return to college also.
She met with Candice Patterson, Director of the Advance Business program at Cleveland State.
“After meeting with Candice, I felt so much better,” Randolph said. “She was able to get all my transcripts and determine that most of my credits would transfer. Her support throughout the program made a big difference. All the instructors understood that you are a working adult, and they treated you like an adult. That makes a big difference because they know that life happens.”
Randolph qualified for the Tennessee Reconnect scholarship, a last-dollar scholarship that covers the tuition and most fees for adults who are 23 years and older who have not already completed an associate or bachelor’s degree.
“I found TN Reconnect, so I didn’t have to worry about the cost,” she said. “When I went to college after high school, it took me 10 years to pay off the loans for those three years.”
Randolph graduated from the Advance Business program in 2021. Three years later, she was promoted to her current position as Director of Investor Development.
“This degree gave me the confidence that I had lost in those years between 18 and 50,” Randolph said. “It made a big impact on my kids and grandkids too. It showed that when life gets in the way, if you have the determination and the fire, there is a way to make it happen. It’s just getting past that self-doubt that we all carry. I accomplished it. I finished – it took me 40 years to do it, but I finished.”
For more information about the Advance Business Program, contact Candice Patterson at candice.patterson@cscctn.edu or (423) 478-6245.